Hood latch and operating means therefor



March 3, 1942. R. HILL ET AL 2,274,696

HOOD LATCH AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 4, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l I J71 yevzzany jowiazed Ji Z'ZZ L 6 Z/aZfer J? 1? razafie March 1942. R. HILL ET AL HOOD LATCH AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1941 lIllfl March 3, 1942. R. HILL ET AL HOOD LATCH AND OPERATING MEANS'THEREFOR Filed Jan. 4, 1941 W a. a 8 i S J y z W/ Z W v 3 7 6 103/ r 2 0 W 41 M fim v w mfl mw a M Z QZQ ($1..

Patented Mar. 3, 194.2

HOOD LATCH AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Rowland. Hill and Walter H. Krause, Chicago,

111., assignors to Chicago Forging & Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 4, 1941, Serial No. 373,110 6 Claims. (01. 292-225) Our invention relates to an improvement in hood latches and is particularly applicable to hood latches as applied to alligator type hoods, in which the hood closure is hinged or movably mounted at its rear end in such fashion that the forward end may be swung up to give access to the parts within the hood.

One purpose is the provision of an improved type of latch for an alligator hood closure in which the latch may initially-be released only from within the car.

Another purpose is the provision of improved connecting means between the latch and the internally operable actuating or releasing means therefor.

Another purpose is the provision of an im- Fig. 10 is an enlarged section on the line |l ll of Fig. 8.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols proved latch structure operable by remote control within the car.

Another purpose is the provision of an improved latch structure in which a plurality of concentrically pivoted levers are employed, mounted on a keeper receiving aligning plate, one of said levers serving as a latch for engageing with the keeper, the other serving as means formoving the latch lever to release position, the latch lever being also independently movable to release position in response to the downward movement of the keeper to latching position.

Another purpose is the provision of an im proved latch which yields more freely to the camming action of the keeper, which may if Referring to the drawings, I generally indicates an automobile hood, and 2 a hood closure, which may be hinged or otherwise movably secured at its rear end, a hinge 3 being diagrammatically illustrated. It will be understood, however, that in general some type of multiple or lever arm hinged structure may be employed. Since the details of the hinge do not of themselves form part of the present invention, the hinge 3 will be considered as merely a diagrammatic illustration of a hinge for movably supporting the rear end of the closure 2.

4 illustrates an instrument panel, upon which may be mounted any suitable control button 5, connected to the wire 6a in the conduit 6, whereby, as will later appear, a pull on the button 5 actuates the below described latch. Referring, for example, to Fig. 3, 1 illustrates a combined centering member and latch keeper, which may for example have a spearhead 1a terminating at its upper end in a latching ledge 8. The spear head shaft I may be secured to a plate or support 9, which in turn is mounted in any suitable manner upon the closure 2. A lower plate or support, generally indicated as M, is mounted in any suitable fashion on the hood I, in vertical alignment with the support 9. It is apertured desired be of spearhead shape, when the closure is lowered to closing position.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

We illustrate our invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-43 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2, with parts in a different position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, with the latching means in releasing position;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the latch lever;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the latch actuating lever;

Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the lever of Fig. 8; and

as at l I to receive the end of the spearhead and is further apertured as at 12 to permit the penetration therethrough of a safety latch l3, pivoted as at M upon the' support 9. The safety latch does not of itself form part of the present invention and will not be further described.

is a spring, herein shown as coiled about the keeper stem 1 and compressed between the support 9 and a cup l6, and which has a bottom flange ll adapted to engage the upper face of the support "I. It will be understood that when the closure 2 is in raised position, the cup I6 is thrust by the spring downwardly about the head la, and its upper flange I8 serves as a stop for limiting its further downward movement along the stem 1. When the parts are in the closed position, the spring i5 is compressed, and when the below described latchstructure is released,

it is effective to raise the closure 2 a slight distance above the hood I and to raise the latch ledge 8 of the spearhead Ia up out of alignment with the latch lever 20, which may be supported in any suitable guide 2| formed or mounted on the lower side of the support Hi, and is pivoted as at 22. The raising of the closure 2 is also eqective to permit the operator to reach in and manually release the safety catch I 3, which would otherwise engage a side of the aperture I2 and prevent any further lifting of the closure 2.

In order to actuate the latch lever 20 we provide the following structure: An additional lever 23 is concentrically pivoted, as at 22, and is provided with a lip 24 adapted to engage a portion of the lever 20, as at 25. It will be understood that the engagement between the two levers may be made in any satisfactory way, but we find it convenient to employ such a lip engaging the forward edge of the lever 20. Independent means are provided for normally holding both levers in latching position. We illustrate, for example, a coil spring 26, one end of which is secured to the lever 20, as at 21, and the other to an offset or car on the plate ID, as at 23. 29 is a second spring, one end of which is secured to the lever 23, as at 30, and the other end to an ear or offset on the plate III, as at 3|. It will be understood that the lever 20 is normally held in latching position by the spring 26, but may recede from latching position independently of the position of the lever 23 or of its actuating means. On the other hand, if the lever 23 is withdrawn from latching position, it withdraws with it the lever 20. The end of the guide 2| may serve as a limit means for both levers for limiting their movement toward latching position, as at 32. The guide is of sufiicient length, however, to permit both members to recede entirely from latching position.

In order to move the levers unitarily from latching position, or in order to cause the lever 23 to withdraw the lever 20 from latching position, we provide any suitable tension members, such as the flexible wire 50, which may be provided with the flexible surrounding conduit 6, the conduit 6 passing through the guide portion 40 of the support ID, as shown for example in Fig. 4. Any suitable clamping means 4l may be employed to clamp the conduit 40 in position. The end of the wire 6a passes through a fitting 43 and may be adjustably secured thereto as by any suitable set screw 44. The result is an adjustable connection between the end of the lever 23 and the wire to, which may be easily made and adjusted, as the set screw 44 is accessible through an aperture 45 in the plate Ill. The connection permits a relative oscillation of the fitting 43 in relation to the flange 46 of the lever 23 through which it passes. This prevents any perceptible excess strain on the wire 60. and reduces or prevents fatigue and breakage.

The flattening or shoulder of the reduced portion 430. of the fitting 43 and of the opposed portions of the aperture in the lever flange 45 through which it passes, as shown in Fig. 10, prevents rotation of the fitting in relation to the lever and insures that the set screw 44 will be readily accessible through the aperture 45. This is particularly advantageous in assembly line practice in automobile plants, since the workman can readily thread the wire 6a, or its equivalent, through the central aperture of the fitting 43 and then insert and tighten the set screw 44 to make a proper adjustment in relation to the lever 23. The fact that the set screw 44 and the end of the wire 6a are always in alignment with the aperture 45 ofthe plate 10 is a great convenience and time saver on the assembly line.

It will be understood, also, that the outer end 32 of the guide 2| serves as a stop for limiting the outward movement of either or both of the levers and 23.

It will be realized that, whereas we have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheiessmany changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of our invention. We therefore wish our description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting us to our precise showing.

For example, where we have illustrated the wire 5a in the conduit 5, it will be understood that any suitable actuating means may be em-.

ployed. For example, a simple wire with spaced bearings or aligning means or any other suitable tension member may be used, whereby the operator, by moving the manual member 5 or its equivalent, may form within the automobile draw out on the actuating lever 20 and release the latch. And, with reference to the springs 25 and 23, herein shown as coil tension springs, it will be understood that, while we find these springs practical, other forms and locations of spring may be employed without departing from the spirit of our invention.

It will also be understood that, whereas we have illustrated what we call a spearhead keeper with the concentric coil spring l5 thereabout effective initially to raise the closure 2 when the latch is released, we do not wish to be limited to the employment of our latching and unlatching means with any specific keeper, or with any specific means for raising the closure.

The use and operation of our invention are as follows:

In latch type hood closures we find it advantageous to have the keeper ride over the latching means without having this riding over movement of the latching means to release position have any effect on the tension member, such as 6a, which is employed to release the latch from inside of the automobile. Thus, when the spearhead Ia or its equivalent is lowered into closing position upon the downward movement of the hood closure 2, the inclined surface Id of the keeper cams the lever 20 to release position, engaging its forward edge 20a. The lever 23 is not moved, and there is no strain upon or movement of the tension member 6a, or the connection between said tension member and the lever 23, and of course no movement of the manual knob 5. The result is a saving of wear and strain upon the associated parts. On the other hand, when the operator wishes to release the latch from within the automobile, a pull on the knob 5 is effective to draw the tension member 5a inwardly and to rotate the lever 23, and with it the lever 20, to release position. In practice it is impossible for any tamperer to have access to the interior of the hood or hood closure without first getting into the car and pulling on the handle or knob 5.

The user, when he wishes filling station service, simply pulls on the knob, with the result that the spring l5 slightly lifts the c1osure'2 and draws the spearhead 1a out of latching alignment with the lever 20. When the lever returns after the release of the handle 5, the spearhead or keeper has passed beyond it, and the outside operator or attendant can then reach his hand in beneath the edge of the closure 2 and move the safety latch l3 to release position against the spring Ba, and by the same movement lift the hood upwardly. When the attendant wishes to close the hood or closure, he merely pushes it or slams it down, and the keeper portion la rides over the lever 20 and cams it to release position, after which the spring 26 snaps it back to latching position without any movement of the wire to or any of its associated parts, with the consequent saving of strain and wear and fatigue of the wire and of its connections with the actuating lever 23;

We claim: v

1. In a latch assembly, a horizontal latch support apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers of unequal length concentrically pivoted on said support on a generally vertical axis and extending in a like direction from the pivot, the shorter of said levers constituting a latching lever and the longer an unlatching lever, means eflective normally to urge the latching lever toward latching position, with a latch portion of said lever extending into alignment with said keeper receiving aperture, means for normally urging the unlatching lever toward inoperative position, and manually operable means for moving the unlatching lever to the unlatching position, said levers having interconnecting parts adapted to move the latching lever to unlatching position in response to unlatching movement of the unlatching lever, while leaving the latching lever free to move to the unlatching position independently of the location of the unlatching lever.

2. In a latch assembly, a horizontal latch support apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers of unequal length concentrically pivoted on said support on a generally vertical axis and extending in a like direction from the pivot, the shorter of said levers constituting a latching lever and the longer an unlatching lever, means eii'ective normally to urge the latching lever toward latching position, with a latch portion of 40 said lever extending into alignment with said keeper receiving aperture, means for normally urging the unlatching lever toward'inoperative position, andmanually operable means for moving the unlatching lever to the unlatching position, said levers having interconnecting parts adapted to move the latching lever to \mlatching position in response "to unlatching movement cl lever, and a unitary guide and support for both levers, including a strap secured at each end to the lower face of the support and underlying both said levers.

4. In a latch assembly, a horizontal latch support apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers of unequal length concentrically pivoted on said support on a. generally vertical axis and extending in a like direction from the pivot, the shorter of said levers constituting a latching lever and the longer an unlatching lever, means -efiective normally to urge the latching lever toward latching position, with a latch portion of said lever extending into alignment with said manually operable means for moving the unlatching lever to the unlatching position, said levers having interconnecting parts adapted to move the latching lever to unlatching position in response to unlatching movement of the unlatching lever, while leaving the latching lever free to move to the unlatching position independently of the location of the unlatching lever.

5. In a latch assembly, horizontal latch support apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers concentrically pivoted on the lower side of said support for rotation about a common generally vertical axis. one of said levers overlying the other, said levers being of unequal length, the shorter of said levers constituting a latching lever and the longer of said levers constituting an unlatching lever, yielding means adapted normally to urge said latching lever towards latching position, with-the latch portion of said lever extending into alignment with the keeper receiving aperture," separate yielding means adapted normally to urge the unlatching lever toward vinoperative position. actuating means connected to the unlatching lever at a, point beyond the end of the latching lever, said unlatching lever having a portion projecting into the path 01' movement or the latching lever and adaptedto interconnect therewith and to move the latching lever to unlatching position in response to an actuating movement oi the unlatching lever, the latching lever being free to move to unlatching the unlatching lever, while leaving the latching podtion while the unlatching lever is in inoperalever tree to move to the unlatching position intive position.

dependently of the location of the unlatching c. In a latch assembly, a horizontal latch supleve'r, the operating means being connected to port apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers the end of the longer lever at a point beyond the end of the shorter or latching lever.

oi unequal length concentrically pivoted on said support on a generally vertical axis and extend- 3. In a latch assembly, a horizontal latch sup- 55 ing in a like direction from the pivot, the shorter port apertured to receive a keeper, a pair of levers of unequal length concentrically pivoted on said support on a generally vertical axis and exof said levers. constituting a latching lever and the longer an unlatching lever, means effective normally to urge the latching lever toward latchtending in a like direction from the pivot, the ing position, means for normally urging the unshorter of said levers constituting a latching so latching lever toward inoperative position. and

lever and the longer an unlatching lever, means eilective normally to urge the latching lever toward latching position, with a latch portion of said lever extending into alignment with said keeper receiving aperture, means for normally g5 urging the unlatching lever toward inoperative position, and manually operable means tor moving the unlatching lever to the unlatching posi: tion, said levers having interconnecting parts the operating means being connected to the end adapted to move the latchinglever to unlatching position in response to unlatchingmovement of the unlatching lever, while leaving the latching lever tree to move tojhe unlatching position independently of thelocation or the unlatching or the longer lever at a point beyond the end of the shorter or latching lever.

ROWLAND HILL. WALT H. KRAUSE. 

